1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seaming machine for securing a batten to an upstanding roof rib on a metal roof construction.
2. Background Art
Metal roofs are often used on buildings of various sizes and shapes. Typically, the roofs are formed from a plurality of metal panels including upstanding flanges arranged in a side-by-side relationship which are joined together by a seam.
One type of roof construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,145, issued May 16, 1978, wherein a cleat is secured to an upstanding roof rib having a generally T-shaped cross-section. The cleat or batten has flanges which are turned under the horizontal flanges on the roof rib.
In forming a seam for securing the above-described cleat to a T-shaped roof rib, seaming machines generally turned or bent the flange into the desired position. The machines which had been used to form such a seam typically included a series of horizontally-disposed rollers which progressively bent the flanges. No crimping of the flange against the roof rib was generally performed. One such roof seaming machine, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,120,828 issued Feb. 11, 1964, and 3,487,799 issued Jan. 6, 1970, includes a series of spaced rollers which bend a flange on a roof panel over an adjacent flange. Pairs of horizontally-disposed rollers engage opposite sides of an upstanding roof rib to define a forming surface between the adjacent rollers. The pairs of horizontal rollers are spring biased to maintain them in engagement with a roof rib.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,699 issued May 16, 1972, vertical as well as horizontal rollers perform the seaming operation. Flanges on adjacent panels are first crimped together by the vertically disposed rollers while the final turning and crimping operation is performed by spring biased horizontal rollers.
Another machine for forming a rolled seam between adjacent flanges is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,005, issued Nov. 20, 1973, wherein the housing for the pairs of horizontally disposed rollers is split along a horizontal axis. One section of the housing is pivoted upwardly about the horizontal axis to allow the machine to be removed at any point along a roof rib.